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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · bass · wax · suit · face · clip · mine · drill

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — to grow
  6. drill — a practice
  7. suit — to fit
  8. drill — army training
  9. suit — in cards
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. face — to confront
  13. suit — clothes
  14. face — part of the head
  15. track — a song
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bass — the fish
  20. drill — the tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bass — low music
  23. clip — a video
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com